Key takeaways
- PACT Act presumptions depend on where and when you served, not where you live now.
- Stateside PFAS exposure, including at Arkansas bases, isn't presumptive yet. Those claims need direct evidence.
- Previously denied? A Supplemental Claim may be the next step.
The checklist
☐ 1. Check your deployment and service locations
Pull your DD-214 and deployment records. Gulf War and post-9/11 service in locations like Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Djibouti, Syria, Jordan, and others may qualify for burn pit presumptions. Vietnam-era service in Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, certain Cambodian provinces, Guam or American Samoa, and Johnston Atoll may qualify for Agent Orange presumptions. Dates matter. Check VA's PACT Act page.
☐ 2. Compare your diagnoses to the presumptive lists
The lists include many cancers and respiratory conditions (asthma diagnosed after service, chronic bronchitis, COPD, chronic rhinitis and sinusitis, emphysema, and more) for burn pits, and hypertension and MGUS for Agent Orange.
☐ 3. Get a toxic exposure screening
If you're enrolled in VA health care, ask for a toxic exposure screening at John L. McClellan Memorial Veterans Hospital in Little Rock, the Eugene J. Towbin Healthcare Center in North Little Rock, or your community clinic (such as the Conway VA Clinic).
☐ 4. File an Intent to File
An Intent to File (VA Form 21-0966) can protect your effective date for up to a year while you gather evidence.
☐ 5. Re-file anything VA denied before
If VA denied a condition that is now presumptive, a Supplemental Claim citing the PACT Act may be appropriate.
☐ 6. Survivors: check DIC eligibility
If a veteran died from a condition that's now presumptive, the surviving spouse or dependents may qualify for DIC.
Free review from Cabot, Arkansas, for veterans anywhere.
Arkansas installations and PFAS
The Department of Defense has investigated PFAS contamination, largely from firefighting foam (AFFF), at many installations, including bases in Arkansas such as Little Rock Air Force Base in Jacksonville. As of October 2026, VA has not established a PFAS presumption. In December 2025 VA announced a scientific assessment focused on PFAS and kidney cancer. For now, a PFAS-related claim needs evidence of exposure (your duties, location, and records) and a medical opinion linking your condition to it.
Other Arkansas installations with documented environmental cleanup histories include Pine Bluff Arsenal and Fort Chaffee. Exposure at a stateside base is evaluated case by case, through direct service connection.
Arkansas resources
- Little Rock VA Regional Benefit Office: 2200 Fort Roots Drive, North Little Rock, AR 72114
- John L. McClellan Memorial Veterans Hospital: 4300 West 7th Street, Little Rock, AR 72205
- Eugene J. Towbin Healthcare Center: 2200 Fort Roots Drive, North Little Rock, AR 72114
- Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs: veterans.arkansas.gov
Sources
VA: PACT Act · Federal Register: PFAS & kidney cancer assessment · VA Central Arkansas Health Care: Locations
This article is general information, not legal advice. VA and SSA rules change; verify current rules with VA.gov or SSA.gov or talk to an accredited representative.